Alone
by AquaroseNamine
Summary: "You don't have to go alone," she said. "I'm coming with you." Epilogue to Simple Goodbyes. Roxas & Naminé


Part the first: .net/s/6017385/1/Simple_Goodbyes

* * *

Naminé awoke unexpectedly from a deep sleep and, looking around her, observed that things were extraordinarily out of place. She always seemed to notice those kinds of things, no matter the size.  
Immediately following her passion as an artist came her perpetual gift of always having to have things be right. There were two continual drawbacks of Naminé always being a perfectionist. One: when things were not in order, it bothered her. And two: occasionally it just got annoying.

She noticed this one day when she and Zexion happened to be sitting at her long white table as Zexion was supposed to be watching her. As if she needed much 'watching,' the only time she ever left her spot was to pick a rolling pencil off the floor; but even that resulted in quite the disapproving look from Zexion. Dodging his periodic glares, Naminé had tried her hardest to draw. This, however, proved to be much more difficult than she had imagined, due to her inability to sketch without proper arrangement of her art supplies. In fact, she took so much time re-arranging her colored markers that Zexion had thrown down the book he was reading, stood up, and shouted, "Pick a place, already!" to Naminé's frightened face.

Thus, she had been trying to improve her evident bothersome perfectionism.

Naminé noticed she had fallen asleep in her sitting chair, which she normally never did. She remembered feeling suddenly sleepy as she was drawing; the picture of Roxas had blurred on her page; so she had shut her eyes tight and lay down, slowly drifting off into a dream-filled sleep. She had dreamt of herself with two boys, one with hair of brilliant silver and the other with brunette in perfect spikes. Riku and Sora, she thought. She had been dreaming about them ever since those few days at Castle Oblivion. That was the day she set out to fix things. And... she had.

A chair had been pulled up closer to her window. She knew she hadn't put that there... Her blue colored pencil was nowhere to be found, and her drawing pad was not face down on her lap anymore.

Someone had been there.

Demyx, Naminé decided. She had frequently found him sneaking around her room, looking for forgotten cups of water or blue crayons. He had only been truly caught by her once, and even then he vanished in a black cloud before she could say anything.

Strange boy, she thought.

Carefully Naminé put everything back to the way she had it. She smoothed out her white duvet that stretched across her bed, where it looked like someone had been sitting there. She crawled under the deep recesses of white pillows on her chair, hung upside-down over the side of her bed, and even peered over the window at the ground below, but she couldn't find her blue drawing pencil she had been holding. She sighed in frustration and plopped down on her bed. She remembered she had just finished making it and groaned.

Suddenly someone burst into her room.

"Naminé!" Axel practically screamed, which made Naminé shriek and sit up in her bed quickly. A flashback entered her mind...

"Naminé! Naminé! Naminé!" a flustered Axel had burst noisily into her room, flailing a long wire of some sorts that stretched out the door and down the long hall. He ran excitedly and dove head first onto her bed, causing Roxas and herself to fly a couple inches in the air.

"Axel." Roxas hissed through his teeth.

Axel sat himself up then smirked. "What are you doing in here, Roxas?"

Suddenly Roxas blushed wildly. He ran his hand through his hair then laughed nervously. "I was... we were only... she's..."

"I am teaching him how to draw." Naminé smiled.

Axel looked down at the paper in Roxas' hands. "Right... well... looking good." he tried.

"Really?" Roxas looked up.

"No." Axel smiled and hit him on the back. "Stick with the keyblade, man."

Roxas pushed him. "Like you can draw."

Axel almost looked offended. "I may not have mastered the arts of pencils, Roxas, but I happen to be a walking masterpiece myself. I mean, look at me! I have no need for this life's drawing skills- no offense Naminé. Knowing this I ask myself; who _needs_ art... when you _are_ art?"

Roxas rolled his eyes. Naminé changed the subject.

"What is that?" she asked, pointing to the long electrical-looking wire hanging from the tips of Axel's fingers.

Axel looked at it and was silent, as if forgetting for several seconds. Then he perked up. "Oh! Well, Naminé. I invite you to listen for yourself." Axel immediately shoved the small piece he was holding to Naminé's ear that was attached to the wire. Then he smiled so broadly Naminé thought it would spread all the way to his ears, as his eyes flickered excitedly back and forth across Naminé's, as if trying to read her expression.

Through the tiny microphoned end of the earpiece Naminé heard screaming. Lots and lots of screaming. She pulled it out of her ear and said, "What is this?"

"It's an overly long pair of headphones, obviously." Axel said, missing her point in question entirely, or maybe just choosing not to answer it. Then he smiled and watched as Roxas listened too. Slowly the exact same grin spread farther and farther across his face as well. "Larxene?" Roxas smiled and looked up.

"Yeah! I call it, 'Bed a lá flambé.'" Then he burst out laughing so hard he rolled sideways off of Naminé's bed, where he lay on the floor chuckling wildly into her carpet.

Naminé and Roxas rolled their eyes.

"Aaaaxxxeeellll!" came a shrill, angry shriek from two rooms down. Axel stopped laughing and looked up. He was silent until she screamed again, this time it sounding much more prominent and approximately closer to the room. "Damn, she sounds really mad." he said.

"Let's see those mad masterpiece skills, now, Axel." Roxas laughed.

Quickly Axel dropped the eavesdropping wire and dashed out the door. He poked his head back in for a second and glared at the laughing Roxas. "I'll kill you." he said, then left again down the hall, screaming, "It was Demyx!"

When Roxas could no longer breathe after Axel had gone he laid back on Naminé's bed, gasping heavily. Naminé only stared ahead, trying to catch a whisper of Larxene and Axel. Crash. Scream, crash. The unmistakable sound of electricity jolting, and then silence. Naminé flinched.

Roxas closed his eyes, still gasping for air from laughing. "Ouch."

Another crash, a slam of a door, then nothing.

"Granted... he probably deserved that." Roxas said.

Naminé smiled and sighed. "Things better be this way for awhile." She said quietly.

Surprisingly Roxas knew what she meant. She was referring to them, and how much better they could make life with each other, even when life itself sometimes felt close to hopeless. Roxas sat up and rested his arms on his knees and looked at her. Without even looking at his smile, Naminé was convinced by his eyes when he said, "They will."

Naminé shook her head of her oncoming thoughts and looked up just in time to see Axel run through the barrier all too suddenly and have to stop to catch his breath. Carefully he walked to put his hand on Naminé's dresser and exhaled loudly.

"_Axel_." Naminé breathed and regained her composure. The same could not be said for him, however.

He stumbled with disorganized steps to Naminé and grasped her by the shoulders. "Naminé, where is Roxas?" his green eyes flitted back and forth across her face worriedly, searching for an answer.

"I don't know. He did not show up to see me after today's missions..." Naminé shook her head then positioned herself a few more comfortable inches from Axel's face.

Axel staggered himself to Naminé's side. The old bed creaked and groaned when he sat down. He ran his hand through his flaming hair in thought. An extremely worried look flustered itself across his face, the look of someone who had lost something important.

"I'm going to kill him. When we find him, I'm going to kill him." he nodded. He summoned his chakrams and gripped them tightly until his knuckles turned white. A small, growing ring of fire etched it's way around the circumference of the blades. Axel bore a look of complete and utter anger. Naminé backed up a little bit.

"I can't believe he would say that to me." he sighed and put his head down. "How could he betray us like that?"

Naminé grabbed Axel's hand, mostly out of concern but partly because the fire Axel was wielding was coming a little too close to Naminé's blankets for her preference. The last thing she wanted was for Xemnas to blame her for setting fire to her own room.

Axel seemed to sense exactly what she was thinking. He put away his chakrams and smiled. "Relax. They know arson isn't in your way of making a statement."

Naminé smiled sheepishly and released his hand.

"He can't do this to us. He can't do this to me. He _cannot_ do this to you." he lowered his head.

"Axel... what did Roxas say to you? Where have you seen him?" Naminé asked him, her ocean blue eyes filling with concern at the tone in Axel's voice.

Axel closed his eyes and scrunched his face as if in pain. "He said he was leaving."

What? Naminé almost laughed, but swallowed the urge. Was this a joke?  
Nobody even talked about leaving the Organization. Nobody would even dare.  
Naminé waited a few moments patiently for the, 'Just kidding!' or 'Gotcha!'

But none came. Axel wasn't kidding.

Seeing the serious look on his face (which was almost never to be seen on him) Naminé's heart fell.

"Axel..." Naminé stood slowly. "Where is Roxas?"

Axel only shrugged. "Could be anywhere. But when I find him, you can help me kill him." he looked up hopefully.

Naminé stood slowly. She walked to her huge window and yanked hard at the curtains that draped it. Swiftly they floated to one side and settled. Outside everything was still... not a movement to be seen.  
Naminé scoured the forest by the mansion, in some futile attempt to possibly see Roxas. But it was useless. She knew Roxas could be anywhere, in any world, on any street. Places she couldn't go, she wasn't even allotted the privilege of leaving her room. She sighed and lowered her head.

Distractedly something caught her eye. She looked down to see a waded up piece of white paper, haphazardly tossed into her trash basket. Timidly she bent down to pick it up. Naminé unfolded the paper; wrinkled and torn, and smoothed it with her hand. Sketched carefully on the white paper was a rudimentary drawing of herself. She was sleeping in the picture, bathed in sunlight. Behind her there was a slightly erased picture of the silver-haired boy. Riku, surrounded by what looked like blinking neon lights, on a darker street. It was drawn in her blue pencil, and scribbled in the lower left hand corner  
was her name, followed by a messy R. Naminé recognized Roxas familiar slanted writing and couldn't help herself from just staring at it.

"Axel..." Naminé folded the drawing carefully and slipped it in her dress pocket. "I know where he is."

Axel's head perked up. "What?"

Naminé ran to her bedside table and opened one of the drawers. She felt around with her hand until it brushed against something small and cold, which she also put in her pocket.

"I have to go." she said aloud.

As she was leaving she stopped and looked down at Axel, who was still looking at her in confusion. From her pocket she slipped him another drawing, one she'd colored from a long time before. It was a picture of Roxas, Xion, and Axel together. He just looked at it. Naminé saw no hint of any emotion behind his green eyes, but felt sure it was there somewhere, even if showing it was not an option for him.

Without saying anything else Naminé ran off and crossed the border to her other room. She heard Axel yell "Naminé!" and run off behind her. She heard a thud, and knew he had tripped over his coat as he crossed the archway. She chuckled slightly.

Naminé flew open the door of her room that led to the rest of the castle. Demyx was standing there with his hand up ready to knock. When he saw that she had opened the door he smiled and said, "Hey Naminé, I was wondering if I could borrow-"

"Sure Demyx." Naminé reached out and gave him a quick hug before running off again. "Bye!"

"Uh... cool, thanks. Bye. Oh, hey Axel I was wondering if I could borrow-" Naminé heard him say before she rounded the stairs and practically jumped down them by threes.

Naminé ran past the first floor rooms in seconds. A passing Larxene shouted, "Ew, who let the witch out of her lair?" which Naminé ignored.

Naminé sprinted past the glass domes, not paying attention to how tired she was becoming. A couple of times she slipped, but got back up. She knew Axel was still trailing behind her because periodically  
he would shout for her to slow down.

She was getting close to the door. About halfway through the entrance hall, however, she bumped into someone so hard it knocked her off her feet. She winced in pain when she landed hard on her hand. She looked up from the ground, holding her arm. It was Saïx. He looked disapprovingly down at her then asked, "And what do you think _you're_ doing?" She didn't answer.

"Saïx!" Axel panted through the door to the hall. "Whoo." he slid on the waxed floors.

Saïx pulled Naminé up by the wrist. "Did _you_ let her out?" he frowned at Axel.

"Those things are quicker than you'd think." Axel smirked at Naminé.

Things? Naminé glared at Axel momentarily then shook her head. "Please let me go. I have to go."

Saïx furrowed his brow. "You aren't going anywhere. And Axel, we need to talk about Number XIII."

Axel looked Naminé in the eyes. His expression softened. "Saïx, I just wanted to thank you."

Saïx looked genuinely confused. He furrowed his brow with slight caution, as if suspicious of what Axel was going to say. "What for, might I ask?"

Axel took Saïx's hand and shook it vigorously. Saïx's grip on Naminé's hand loosened. "For being... such a great leader to everyone. Great job. Wonderful, marvelous, _stupendous_ job. Seriously." he continued to shake his hand as he peered over Saïx's shoulder at Naminé and winked.

Naminé smiled. "I'll kill him for you." she whispered, then took off once again through the towering doors to the outside world. Immediately she was succumb to darkness... this world was much different than Twilight Town. Timidly she stepped forward, and she proceeded down each stair with precaution. When she reached the last stair the door above her opened loudly and she heard Saïx cry, "Naminé!"

Naminé gasped and hopped to the black street below and continued running. She did not look back to see who, if anyone, was following her. All she did was run. Neon colored store lights and signs blurred together, street lights provided little or no light to the blackened street ways. Naminé ran until she couldn't, she ran until she was lost. All around her she could see nothing but blackness, and soon she became frightened. With a cry she sat down and covered her face with her hands, tears she couldn't control were streaming down her cheeks. "Roxas..." she whispered. "I'm lost..."

Another memory hit Naminé as she said those words aloud.

"This is all your fault, you know." Naminé scowled at Roxas as she hopped a couple stairs in a dark alleyway.

"Excuse me? You were the one who said to go left. And don't talk to me about getting lost in Twilight Town because I can find my way around here backwards and blindfolded." Roxas sped up a hill, tripping over his black cloak.

"I'm holding you to that." Naminé sped up to walk alongside him. "And if you know where we are, perhaps you should work out some sort of way of getting us back."

Roxas sighed and looked up and back down the street, clearly lost. "Working on it."

"'Backwards and blindfolded...'" Naminé mocked quietly.

"Shhh..." Roxas held out his hand and stopped walking, resulting in Naminé bumping into him. "I hear something..." he said.

Naminé fell silent and listened too. After a while she whispered, "I do not hear anything..." into Roxas' ear.

Roxas continued walking. "I know. I just wanted you to stop talking."

Naminé bit her tongue with great, book-worthy resistance. "If you think I am such a bother, why did you not just leave me behind at the mansion?" she crossed her arms.

"Because you asked to come. Besides, you needed to get out. You're looking pale." Roxas stopped to study a blurry, fading map plastered on a store window.

Naminé frowned. She was always pale. "Well, either way... you still could have told me no."

"Not really." he said. "Ice cream?" he gestured to the sea salt ice shop as they continued to wander the back streets of Twilight Town.

"And why not?" she asked him, ignoring his offer.

Roxas pulled out munny and approached the window where you paid for the ice cream. "Two, thanks."

She spun around so she was facing him. "Roxas, why not?"

Roxas handed her a drippy sea salt ice cream bar and licked one of his own. "Because I have a hard time saying goodbye to you, Naminé."

"Goodbye, Naminé..." Roxas voice floated from somewhere in her memory. Goodbye? No.

Naminé gathered the courage she could muster and stood up, wiping her tears on the back of her hand. She tried to stay calm and look around, but she had no idea where she was. She decided the best way to start would to be Main Street, but she had no idea where that was either. And Roxas could be gone any second now. Putting her hand in her pocket, she clutched her small keychain and followed the alley to the  
bend in the road. Here, she saw that Main Street was to her left, and a large, open area took up the space underneath a massively tall building. Kneeling in the midst of the open space was Roxas, tired and weak. Naminé sighed in relief. She was so happy she couldn't help but shout out his name.

"Roxas!" She ignored the splashes of water beginning to drip on her face and the droplets hitting her cold ankles from the puddled streets and ran towards him.

"Naminé." Roxas smiled tiredly, appearing almost on the verge of falling to the ground for lack of strength to keep himself up.

Naminé fell to the ground, long past caring about the cleanliness of her white dress. She put her still sore arm around Roxas. "Are you hurt?" she asked him.

"I'm fine." he assured her, and offered up a half-smile, but Naminé could see his face contort with pain. He flinched when she put her arm around his waist.

"No, you're not. Roxas, why you are so _stupid_?" she sighed and tried to help him to his feet.

He laughed softly. "You tell me." he shook his head when she offered to help him up. "Sit here for a second."

She sat down slowly. "If Axel asks, I killed you." she said.

Roxas' expression turned sad. "Axel..." he looked at the ground.

"Roxas... why did you tell him you were leaving?" she lowered her head to meet his eyes.

He looked back and raised his head ever so slightly. "Because I am."

"What do you mean?" she stood. "Roxas, why are you even here?"

Roxas looked up. "He told me I could feel complete again, Naminé." then he added quieter, "Even if it meant leaving everyone behind. But I... I don't think I can do it. Not alone." he lowered his head.

"Who told you that?"

"The boy..."

"Boy..."

"I told him I didn't want to go anymore. But... he tried to fight me. He left, but I think he's coming back..." Roxas' head shot up as he remembered this. "Naminé you have to go." he said.

Naminé was so shocked and also slightly hurt that she forgot to speak for a couple moments. She opened her mouth to talk, and her words came out jumbled. "What... n-no, what are you-"

Roxas looked around him searchingly. "Please, Naminé. I can't see him hurt you." his eyes seemed to beg here as they met each other.

Naminé sat back on the ground again. "Roxas, I don't care what you say. I'm not going anywhere. And don't try to stop me because right now I'm probably stronger than you."

Roxas smiled but knew better. "Naminé..."

"And I doubt those keyblades of yours will do much on me, I'm already a nothing." she frowned and sat next to Roxas, putting her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and they sat there for several moments.

"No, Naminé." he smiled and put his head on hers. "You're just a Nobody.

Naminé said nothing and closed her eyes again as the rain pattered down rhythmically over herself and Roxas. Roxas put his hand over Naminé's head to protect it from the heresy of the pelting water (which to be honest didn't do much), and they stayed there for awhile.

"Roxas-" Naminé started and lifted her head.

"Shh." Roxas placed his fingers over her lips. "I hear something."

Naminé understood. "Listen, If you want me to shut up then,-" she sighed.

"No." He listened more. Silence.

"Someone's coming." Roxas said quietly after awhile. He tried to stand.

Naminé helped him up, where he stood by himself, wobbling dangerously. He produced both of his keyblades and used them as support to stand himself up.

Suddenly in front of them appeared a vibrant, strong force so powerful and so full of darkness that it knocked Roxas to the ground and almost took Naminé down with him.

"Uhhhh!" Roxas' head met the ground with an unpleasant crash. Naminé fell to the ground. She placed her small hand under his bleeding head with care, all the while keeping her eyes trained on the tall, black figure appearing above them.

When the smoke had cleared away, it left behind the darkest, most powerful looking man Naminé had ever seen. He wore a black cloak and his hair was of the purest silver. Naminé shielded her face with her hand instinctively, as if gazing too long at the black figure would somehow harm her. She heard Roxas speak beside her. His voice came in slow, raspy whispers, quiet at first. Then louder, angrier.

"Where... is Riku." Roxas demanded, trying to sit up. Naminé pushed him down.

"It seems to me..." the man kept his back to them. Stretching out his arm, he flexed his hand, furling and unfurling a fist until a keyblade- black as the sky, appeared in his grasp. "It seems to me you went back on a promise."

Seeing the keyblade and hearing the man speak must have made Roxas angrier, for now Naminé could feel him shaking with fury underneath her. "Answer my question!" he screamed with rage.

The figure breathed very slowly and rolled his neck left and right, making loud popping noises, then doing the same with his fingers. He grasped his keyblade tighter. "I believe I just did." he said in a low  
voice.

Roxas was silent, but still shaky.

"In fact..." the figure turned to face them."It seems... you even tried to fight."

The man had vibrant slicked back hair of silver, and dark skin. Drenched in darkness, his eyes glowed a dark bronze, seemingly boring into Naminé's soul. She quickly looked away.

"Brave, stupid, pathetic boy." he practically spat at Roxas.

"Rrrr..." Roxas growled then leapt up, tearing Namine's arms from his body, and slashing at the man with his keyblades.

Naminé couldn't speak. She tried to yell at Roxas but nothing came out. Roxas lasted several seconds, jabbing and slashing with his weapons. Roxas had always exceeded expectations dramatically when it came to handling the keyblade. But this man... made Roxas look like some sort of amateur. She watched helplessly as he threw Roxas to the ground like a limp doll, then turned away slowly.

He spoke again. "You wish... you knew what you want. But you don't. The darkness will consume you before you ever... understand."

Just the man speaking seemed to make Roxas even angrier, which the cloaked man knew, because he kept talking.

"There is so much to learn... So much... To understand." he wiped a trickle of blood from his keyblade, clearly from a cut he had inflicted somewhere on Roxas. He watched carefully as it dripped to the ground, his eyes transfixed by the thick crimson liquid. "You understand so little."

"Shut up!" Roxas flew up and lashed at the man with his keyblade, and was once again beaten and thrown to the hard concrete below. This time much quicker. Roxas sank, bleeding and weak, his head lowered to the ground.

"Weak. Pathetic. Lonely." the man said, pausing after each word, letting it sink in, and putting particular emphasis on the last one.

Roxas pushed himself up the tiniest bit and spat out some blood, wiping the rest on his cloaked arm. "I guess... I guess that's what you would see." he looked back at Naminé, clearly given up, but  
smiling happily nonetheless.

After several moments he looked back at the man. "You wouldn't know what it's like to be in the light. You never will." Roxas stood, wobbling and unsteady. "You're the lonely one." he said with power in  
his voice.

"You're the lonely one." he repeated, smiling with such happiness one would never suspect he was beaten. Bleeding and bruised. Battered and torn. Tired and weak.

The man was silent, he looked at the ground with furrowed brows. A look of what resembled... sadness... took over his expression for a mere instant. He closed his eyes.

"Ansem." he said. When he opened his eyes, they were once again black with rage and darkness. He angrily struck Roxas across the face with such force that he fell to the ground and Naminé let out a small shriek.

He quickly turned around and paced the length of ground in front of Roxas. "I... am _Ansem_." he started to scream. "I am Ansem!" he walked up to Roxas and grabbed him by the front of the cloak, shaking him until his head wobbled dangerously.

"I am the ruler of the dark. I am the nightmare of the night and you do not cross paths with me." Roxas' face turned an unpleasant shade of blue; he groped and scratched Ansem's hands to let him go. Finally he dropped Roxas once more, who lay on the stone choking and gasping for air.

"Foolish boy!" he laughed. "I might almost consider you brave if it asn't for the fact you are so... stupid." he bent down to Roxas, smothering him in a shroud of darkness. "It's high time you experience the darkness..." Ansem grasped Roxas' arm, getting ready to pick him up.

"Do not... touch him." Naminé heard herself speak. Her voice was crackly and nervous, but strong. Strongest she'd ever felt herself be. Locked in her room, day after day, she'd only obeyed orders. Anything  
anyone ever wanted ever- it was her job to do it. Without question, without hesitation. She'd seen herself obey and comply and detested herself for her own weakness. As she spoke she felt all her self doubt and weakness lift away, and she felt strong. She felt right.

The man called Ansem looked her way like he was noticing her presence for the first time. "Excuse me?" he said.

"Naminé..." Roxas whispered from Ansem's grasp. His voice hinted at warning, but Naminé already knew. She just didn't care.

"Shut up, Roxas." She snapped, trying hard to make it sound as nice as possible. She turned to speak to Ansem.

"He is not alone. He has me. You can't see it, but it's true. I'm not letting anything happen to him." she sighed. "Not anymore. Take your darkness..." she cleared her throat. "Take your darkness... and go."

Ansem looked shocked for a moment, but released his grip on Roxas and let him fall. He smiled widely and walked towards Naminé. "Oh but I do see. It's so terribly clear." He put his rough hand under Naminé's chin and made her look up at him. She swallowed hard and tears started to well in her eyes. Not because she was scared... but because she wasn't.

"Don't touch her." Roxas yelled as loud as he could, small amounts of blood streaming out of the corners of his mouth onto the stone. "Don't touch her."

Ansem loomed over Naminé, then looked back at Roxas. Naminé pulled her face from his hand and looked at the ground.

Ansem stepped back and looked at them both in awe. "The two Nobodies... are in love. How wonderfully ridiculous." he laughed.

Immediately Naminé opened her mouth to deny it. But she couldn't. Because... it was true. She... loved him? It sounded preposterous, and crazy. But... it was true. The more she thought about the more she found that it... _was_ true. Suddenly she sighed sharply in realization and her head dropped, tears squeezing out of her tightly shut eyes.

"It is so obvious." he wouldn't stop laughing. "It's so painfully obvious."

Naminé opened her eyes to see that Roxas bore the exact same expression she did. A small smile snuck across her lips.

"You've... never felt it." she whispered so only Ansem could hear. Bravely she looked into his eyes. "_You're_ the one who doesn't understand."

Ansem stopped.

"You're the one who doesn't get it." she smiled. "You... are the one who's alone."

Ansem's grin slowly fell. He staggered back a few feet, seemingly losing his balance. Naminé was taken aback slightly by this sudden onset of trepidation he was showing... In an instant he seemed to lose almost all of the power he possessed. He looked like he was about to fall.

"Naminé..." he spoke; his voice sounded different. Then for a moment Ansem looked very familiar. His piercing brown eyes seemed to change... and alter to resemble a beautiful, warm aqua. His features transformed for a brief moment... to one that was softer, younger, more lovely. More friendly. But these changes lasted only seconds. As Ansem's hate and anger rose once again his original appearance  
returned. His arm rose to strike her.

"No!" Roxas screamed. Naminé flinched, but nothing came.

"Ansem!" a deep, booming voice echoed throughout the whole empty space under the buildings.

Ansem lowered his arm and quickly brought his blacked hood over his head swiftly. The dark keyblade in his hand disappeared and he stepped back timidly. From a dark corridor stepped another man... a different man wearing a red cloak. His entire head was bandaged and wrapped, so Naminé could see nothing of his face.

The new man seemed to survey what was about him. His masked eyes wandered from the apprehensive Ansem, over Naminé kneeling on the ground, to Roxas struggling to push himself up.

"Ansem... what have you done?" The cloaked man asked in a low, hoarse whisper.

"DiZ..." Ansem began.

"Do not speak, I grow weary of your insolence." the masked man waved his hand.

Ansem fell silent.

DiZ looked at Roxas and said, "It is time."

Roxas stood with difficulty. Naminé saw he was weak and ran to him, holding him up as he spoke. "I... I don't think I'm ready." he said.

"Sora is." DiZ said.

Naminé could see these words hit Roxas hard. A hurt, painful expression took over his face. Nobody spoke for several moments.

"...Okay..." Roxas finally said to Ansem. "Okay."

Naminé couldn't figure out what Roxas was talking about. She looked at him for an answer.

Roxas smiled sheepishly. "Time to go." he said. Then he wrapped Naminé in a tight hug, letting go only when he heard Naminé breathe sharply as she started to understand.

It was hard to comprehend. She knew what he had to do. She knew he had to do it. She was the one who had known it all along, but being with Roxas had made her forget.

"Roxas..." Naminé took his hand again. He had to go. She didn't know where. She didn't know how. All she knew was that he had to.

"Roxas, do you remember the day we first met? I was at the gate to the mansion... and you saw me there."

Roxas nodded.

"I was afraid to go in, so you said to me, 'You don't have to go alone. I'm coming with you.' and that's when I was first taken into the organization." Naminé thought over the memory.

Roxas was silent. Naminé dug into her pocket and pulled out her star charm. Carefully she put it into his hand and closed it shut.

"You don't need to be alone. I'm coming with you." she smiled, knowing she wasn't going to accept no as an answer.

Roxas smiled, and it meant everything to Naminé.

"Come." Was all DiZ said, and motioned towards a dark corridor. Ansem had been long gone- no doubt he had run away from facing DiZ. Naminé couldn't place it, but for some reason... she missed him. Or... whoever it was she saw. She felt inside that she had something more with whoever it was... and she hoped she would see him again.

"What... he said..." Naminé looked at Roxas. "That's..."

"Ridiculous." he said.

She coughed. "Right. Ridiculous." she lowered her head.

He started walking. "I like ridiculous." he held out his arm for her  
to support him.

She smiled. "Me too." and ran up to him.

Roxas leaned on Naminé, limping and weak. Naminé held him up, tired and dirty, looking back for the last time. And slowly, together, they walked hand in hand into the darkness.

* * *

So... yeah, this is part two. Not as good as part one, but i still hope you like it :D

I thought it was actually kinda funny in some parts. Haha.


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